Theo's Peach Custard Pie

Prep time: 30 minutes
Cook time: 50 minutes
Serves 8 people
Calories: 258 per serving
Source: unknown


Ingredients for pastry:

• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/3 cup shortening
• 4-5 tbsp cold water

Ingredients for filling:

• 3 cups fresh peaches, peeled and sliced
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 3 tbsp all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
• 3/4 cup milk

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 450.
2. To make pastry, stir together 1 1/4 cups flour and the salt.
3. Cut in shortening until the pieces are pea-size.
4. Sprinkle 1 tbsp cold water over part of the mixture; gently toss with a fork.
5. Push moistened dough aside, repeated step four until all dough is moistened.
6. Form dough into a ball.
7. Flatten the dough on a lightly-floured surface.
8. Roll dough into a 12-inch circle; transfer to a 9-inch pie plate by wrapping the dough around the rolling pin.
9. Trim pastry to 1/2 an inch beyond the edge of the pie plate; fold under extra pastry and crimp the edge.
10. Line pastry with a double-thickness of foil and bake for 8 minutes.
11. Remove foil; bake 4-5 minutes more or until set and dry.
12. Reduce heat to 350.
13. Layer peaches in the pie shell; set aside.
14. Slightly beat the eggs with a rotary beater.
15. Stir in sugar, 3 tbsp flour, vanilla and nutmeg.
16. Gradually stir in milk until just combined.
17. Place pastry shell on the oven rack; pour filling over the sliced peaches.
18. Cover edge of pie with foil; bake for 25 minutes.
19. Remove foil; bake 20-25 minutes more or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
20. Cool on a wire rack; refrigerate within two hours, covered.

I first made this pie years ago when I was living in Lions Bay, out on my own for the first time.  The recipe lay tucked away for the longest time until I needed a recipe for a geocache event marking "Pi Day" 2015.  This was one of two pies that I took to the event, which was moved at the last minute due to the fact that it was pouring with rain and we really needed to be under cover.  This was pretty inconvenient for me though; it was much further down the trail, I was lugging a wagon loaded with pies and supplies and coaxing along an already-reluctant Charlotte.  I also lost my car key that day and things were just not going well.  When I got home with my two pies still intact, I parked the wagon in the hallway and went across to see if my neighbour, Pam, wanted to have some pie with us.  She had been storing them in her fridge for me until the event and had been admiring the peach one in particular.  In the three minutes it took for us to have that discussion, Theo made it a moot point by devouring the entire pie.  This was the straw that broke my back this morning and Theo was in the biggest trouble of his life.  After all that effort, no one but Theo got to have peach custard pie today - and I will never make it again without remembering the day Theo ate the whole pie.